WASHINGTON – The National Park Service is not interested in coming up with plans to let states pay to keep parks open should another government shutdown occur, a service official testified Thursday to a House subcommittee.

WASHINGTON – With a year until the next election, Democratic freshmen in three competitive Arizona congressional districts are continuing to stockpile cash for their re-election bids, according to the latest campaign finance reports.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton is calling on Arizona's congressional delegation to work in a bipartisan fashion with other members of Congress to avoid the impending federal budget cuts known as sequestration.

Arizona’s once-in-a-decade remapping process may grind to a halt for up to a month and a half while a judicial commission, and possibly the courts, decide who will be the next chair of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission.